Priorities by Purpose

Reimagining Math

The Fletcher Jones Foundation has approved a $1 million award to USD’s math department to transform its current space into a dynamic, state-of-the-art environment for student collaboration, faculty research and community gathering.

The centerpiece of the redesign is the new Math Studio, serving as an incubator and promoter of a radical, physical experience in mathematics research, borrowing ideas from manufacturing, art studios, and design thinking. The new math studio will provide space for group problem solving, faculty research, collaborative learning, experimenting and redefining math to accommodate current and future application of mathematical principles and techniques. Glass walls, open spaces, and easy navigation are part of the design, which is expected to be completed by Fall 2018. The concept supports USD’s “Envisioning 2024” strategic plan, including engaged scholarship, anchor institution outreach, access and inclusion, and liberal arts education for the 21st century.

The Fletcher Jones Foundation is one of USD’s longtime partners, having funded the construction and equipment for the Donald P. Shiley Science Center for Science and Technology, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, home to the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, and two endowed professorships in biology and applied mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Fletcher Jones Foundation, based in Pasadena, Calif., was endowed by the estate of Fletcher R. Jones, co-founder of Computer Sciences Corporation. The primary mission of the foundation is the support of private, independent nonprofit colleges and universities in California.